GWU to sell 88.3 radio frequency

Published: Friday, November 22, 2013 at 02:30 PM.

Gardner-Webb University plans to sell its FM radio frequency to a Christian radio station based in the Carolinas, pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission, officials announced Friday.

New Life 91.9 WRCM, part of Columbia International University in South Carolina, has agreed to purchase the 88.3 FM frequency and expects a transition to be complete in the first quarter of 2014, according to a news release from GWU.

A price on the purchase was not released. The sale will include the 88.3 FM signal, as well as property and equipment at a radio tower site in Mooresboro. The WGWG studios and call letters are not part of the deal.

In June, GWU unveiled plans to transition the campus radio station WGWG to an Internet-only model of distribution. WGWG will continue to operate programming daily from its studios in the Elliott House at 106 Emily Lane in Boiling Springs.

“While the purchase of the frequency has been in negotiation for several months, all of the paperwork has now been filed with the FCC,” said WGWG General Manager Noel Manning. “We’re experiencing about a 90-day window before the transition is complete.”

WGWG officials plan to satisfy the station’s current audience and expand its reach.

“We have already been successful in attracting new online listeners to the station,” said Jeff Powell, WGWG operations manager. “We also plan to expand the hands-on opportunities for students to learn radio, audio, broadcast announcing, public speaking and writing.”

Gardner-Webb University plans to sell its FM radio frequency to a Christian radio station based in the Carolinas, pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission, officials announced Friday.

New Life 91.9 WRCM, part of Columbia International University in South Carolina, has agreed to purchase the 88.3 FM frequency and expects a transition to be complete in the first quarter of 2014, according to a news release from GWU.

A price on the purchase was not released. The sale will include the 88.3 FM signal, as well as property and equipment at a radio tower site in Mooresboro. The WGWG studios and call letters are not part of the deal.

In June, GWU unveiled plans to transition the campus radio station WGWG to an Internet-only model of distribution. WGWG will continue to operate programming daily from its studios in the Elliott House at 106 Emily Lane in Boiling Springs.

“While the purchase of the frequency has been in negotiation for several months, all of the paperwork has now been filed with the FCC,” said WGWG General Manager Noel Manning. “We’re experiencing about a 90-day window before the transition is complete.”

WGWG officials plan to satisfy the station’s current audience and expand its reach.

“We have already been successful in attracting new online listeners to the station,” said Jeff Powell, WGWG operations manager. “We also plan to expand the hands-on opportunities for students to learn radio, audio, broadcast announcing, public speaking and writing.”

Manning said Columbia International may receive permission to use the WGWG call letters on a temporary basis, due to the FCC’s call sign transfer process.

New Life 91.9 launched in 1993 and serves listeners in Mecklenburg and Union counties in North Carolina and York County in South Carolina. Its broadcasts in the Christian radio format currently reach 900,000 people.

“The acquisition of this frequency will help us in pursuit of a 20-year goal – a signal expansion to reach as many people as possible with the family-friendly programming of New Life 91.9,” said Joe Paulo, director of broadcasting for Columbia International University. “The two signals combined will now reach a potential audience of over 1.3 million people, allowing us to make a significantly larger impact in the communities we have a passion to serve.”

WGWG started as a radio club in 1961 and transitioned to FM radio in 1974. The station will continue to offer a variety of music and shows, GWU athletics and original programming from the community.